A lot of people write with a question or two to ask us that hasn't been covered in any interview, and the other day I thought it might be cool if we could have an audience participation-type thing here -- where if you have a question you think other people might want to know the answer to, send it to us we'll answer it right here! Newest questions are added at the top, so you can read down until you get to where you last left off. Old questions are now being filed in their own sections, grouped by subject rather than date (there is considerable cross-over in subject matter; I've tried to put questions and answers in the most appropriate category possible.
As is probably painfully obvious, this section is in dire need of both updating and overhauling. Unfortunately it's been pretty low on the list of priorities ever since I lives were taken over by the Eltingville Pilot Monster. We have continued to read every question and we will respond immediately to timely questions. Hopefully when things settle (which will hopefully be SOON) we can overhaul this section completely. Thanks for you patience!! -- Sarah, 11/24/01
Questions about working in comics: advice and techniques
Our work: Action Girl, all of Evan's books; House of Fun projects and outside of the House projects; All about us; all about the industry
Now the ball's in your court...so come on and think of the one interview question you've always wanted to ask either one of us and send your question in! (Feel free to follow up with another question -- just only send one at a time, please. Thanks!!) If you don't have a question and just want to say hi, write to me, Sarah Dyer, or him, Evan Dorkin, personally.
Jan 14, 1998
[For both] Hey guys, love your work. One nagging question; is Evan always
that pissed off? Just wondering. Thanks again! -- Bob Colwick
Sarah: Hmmm....not all the time. Okay, okay! (ow!) Just some of the time.
Evan: Am I always pissed off? What the hell kind of question is that?!? I swear...
Jan 9, 1998
[For evan] Great work. Great attitude. Great website. One burning
question..."Fishbone. What the hell went wrong?" -- Joe,
josefek@hotmail.com
Evan: Who knows. They really just seemed to unravel and lose focus, maybe they got tired of being pereceived as a "ska" band (at a time when playing ska was some sort of punk/college/alt rock crime), maybe they tried too hard to achieve a funk/metal Chili Peppers crossover fratboy sound, maybe they just started to suck because that's what bands do. With bands like the Bosstones finally getting over, it's a shame Fishbone couldn't have stayed strong and rightfully ridden the recent "ska-punk" push. MtV did try and shove them around the "Reality of My Surroundings" album, but maybe it was too soon for the band. Fishbone always seemed huge to me and my friends in the 80's -- everyone seemed to know them and their incredibly amazing live shows, they were featured in movies and on soundtracks -- yet somehow they never really hit the big time. I count myself lucky that I got to see them eight times, they pretty much were my favorite band during a great part of the 80's.
Jan 8, 1998
[For both] ...My question was in regards to your taste in the Japanese manga.
Evan mentioned wanting to read Ranma 1/2, which is a very popular current
work of Rumiko Takahashi, but I was wondering what you thought of it. I'm
a bit obsessed about Rumiko's earlier works, most notably Urusei Yatsura.
I'm curious if you've ever read the comics or seen the cartoons.... and on
an unrelated point, It's gotten very easy to tell which episodes of Space
Ghost you guys write by whether I just laugh or pee myself. -- Robert Montjoy,
rsmontjoy@hotmail.com
Sarah: I've got most of the early Ranma and Urusei Yatsure books, as well as Rumic World, and some of the more recent collections. I actually got into her stuff from seeing the cartoons, but haven't seen one in ages. To be honest, there's so much of her work out there, and it's all so similar, that there's only so much of it I want to read. Evan still hasn't read any of it, but I have got him reading What's Michael? and oohing over the art in Blade of Immortal.
Evan: I've seen some of the Ranma tv episodes and one or two of the AOV films, and I enjoyed them. I really like how a lot of the Japanese creators put a weird little spin on the standard fantasy/SF genres, adding humor or really strange screwball-esque situations to the action. A lot of the Japanese live action dramas and comedies we've been able to watch (subtitled on local community tv) have that same screwball sensibility, there's a lot of complex plotting going on, often with mistaken identities or misunderstandings that remind me of old Hollywood screwballs. But I haven't kept up with much manga or anime, so my experience with the material is pretty limited. I like What's Michael, that's the most recent stuff I've actually followed.
And thanks for watching the Ghost, of course.
Dec 14, 1997
[For both] I've been working on some comix with my,y'know, signifigant other
for a while now, and it's usually been fabulous, but sometimes bad stuff
happens. I know you guys arent an advice to the lovelorn column, and that
you don't like to admit that you're sweet on each other, but do you think
such comix+love equations usually work out? You can pretend to be objective
to protect your privacy. -- EmDG13@aol.com
Sarah: I think it all depends on the relationship itself, and on how you're dividing the work. If you're doing really separate tasks, obviously there'll be a lot less trouble. If you're both working on the same thing (say....co-writing....ahem) then sparks will fly. Unlike regular collaboration, where you can just suck up being angry with your working partner and complain about it later -- you have to get conflict out in the open and resolve it asap. If you can't develop a way to work together without too much conflict, then you need to think about whether it's really worth it. A couple words of advice: if you are doing mainly separate things (say, writing and drawing, or art and coloring) -- don't second guess the other person, or pick apart what they are doing. If you were working with a professional you weren't personally involved with, you wouldn't be allowed to critique each panel, or even see the result until it's finished. Either your partner is competent or they aren't -- trust them to do their best. Some constructive criticism is okay if the other person is open to it, and can accept it as constructive. I personally would strongly recommend making suggestions, indications, and so forth before the other person starts to work, but then step back and let them do their job. If you are doing a particular task together (writing, for example), all I can say is work out conflict, and figure out why you have conflict. If you essentially have different styles of working, figure out a way to compromise. Finally, don't work together because you think you should, or it would be a good idea -- work together because you want to work together, because you are good collaborators or you have a synergy in your work when you do something together. It can be done -- there's several couples in comics, and many more in other entertainment industries that get along working together. Of course, there's plenty of couples that never work together too -- so if you find you just can't work together, don't worry about it. It might just not be right for you.
Evan: Sarah's pretty much summed up the process (without mentioning what a pain in the ass I can be to work with, I might add). All I'd add is that it can be a good thing to have your own solo projects that you work on -- this way you can maintain seperate professional and creative identities, as well as get some needed breathing room. Even the closest of couples can use a break from one another, especially in a creative/work situation.
Dec 12, 1997
[For evan] I've reread my copies of Dork! for the umpteenth time, and I'm
just wondering - why do the Eltingville Club characters bother hanging out
at all? They don't really like each other, and Josh just seems to take more
abuse with each misadventure. Have you figured out what keeps them together?
(This might actually make a good story - "The Origins Of the Eltingville
Club" or some such. Anyway, just curious. -- Ian Campbell
Evan: There's nothing to figure out, I've always known how the group dynamic works in the Eltingville strips. These four guys need each other -- without each other there'd be no one to show off their "conquests" and collections to, no one to argue with, no one to prove themselves to with their "expertise" and opinions. They don't like their "expertise" challenged, but they need it acknowledged. They have to be friends --no one else will have them, and they all have their common outcast/comic geek bonds. And those are strong links, let me tell you from teenage experience.
All they'd have without each other is the internet, and you can't see a movie with your computer. They're all socially inept and arrested, so the dynamic of childhood cruelty is strong in their group. They all despise one another to a degree because they feel trapped with one another, there's no other friends or (gasp) girls in their lives. And they're all "smart" enough to realize their friends are geeks, but at the same time they don't have the self-awareness to realize they're geeks as well. It's far easier for the club members to attack one another for what they dislike about themselves than face reality and try to changes their life situation. And it's easier to gain points calling Josh fat or Bill a pizza face than to deal with the fact that they are powerless against the "outside world" of non-fans.
Beyond their fictional dynamic, the club is based loosely on the circle of friends I had growing up as an awkward, semi-socialized teenager -- we were a cruel bunch of bastards to each other, even though we genuinely liked one another. I've always been fascinated by the cruelty often displayed by male friends, how guys will call each other horrible names as jokes, and argue and even fight one another to the point that you wonder why they're hanging out together. The Eltingville Club may seem exaggerated in their constant sniping and fighting, but I don't think the antagonism is that far off from some real life social circles I've participated in or observed.
Dec 3, 1997
[For both] ...what mainstream/daily comics creators would you each like to
collaborate with on a short project? Somehow, I see Sarah working well with
Nicole Hollander and Evan with Bill Griffith or Dan Piraro... Second, what
daily-funnies strip would you most like to do a hostile takeover of? Like,
if Sarah did "Cathy" or "Liberty Meadows" for a week...and a vist from Milk
and Cheese to "Dilbert," "The Family Circus," (nahh...too obvious...) How
about the Eltingville Club meets Alley Oop? -- Marty Kelley,
mkelley@u.arizona.edu
Sarah: Actually, we don't read daily comics at all. Partly because they pretty much all stink, partly because we don't get any newspapers. We read a lot of old strips in reprints though -- I'm especially crazy about Terry and the Pirates -- of course that doesn't answer your question at all. Hmm, I'd take over Prince Valiant and have Aleta kick some ass...is that even still in the papers?
Evan: Oh man...I don't know. I don't even have a joke answer for this one. I don't have an interest in taking over any daily strip, to be honest I started doing the "Fun" strips in Dork because I really despise the lame crap running in newspapers these past few decades and wanted to lampoon the standard four panel unfunny gag strip. I love many old strips, and I have respect for several "modern" ones like the Far Side, Doonesbury, Mutts, For Better or Worse and Calvin and Hobbes, but generally daily strips read like pathetic greeting cards drawn by five year olds on a moving bus. The only daily strip artist I'd want to collaborate with would be Frank Cho -- who in fact I almost worked with pre-Liberty Meadows. I tried to get Dark Horse to hire him draw the Mask series I scripted for them but it didn't work out for various reasons.
Nov 30, 1997
[For evan] Hiya I've been reading Milk and Cheese for a bit now, and i must
say that they kick ass. I reeeeaalllyy want to buy some Milk and Cheese
merchandise, and i've found some of the stuff, but where can i find the promo
card stuff (like the one from Hero Illustrated)? Is it only availible at
local type shops, or is there one gigantic Milk and Cheese Promo Type Stuff
Store? Alright, thanks for your time, and keep on writing those GREAT comics!
-- MaTT, groovechampion@bigfoot.com
Evan: Promo items like the Hero card are catch as catch can, they're out for a short time and after that I guess only dealers or readers looking to sell or trade theirs have them. I gave away a ton of them at cons and through the mail, so I can't be of any help unfortunately. I re-used the card dialogue with a better picture for the card set we did for 21st Century, so if you have that then at least you have "the joke". Such as it is.
Nov 26, 1997
[For both] Hello dere! Just wanted to drop a note saying I love the work.
I've also got my unofficial M&C tattoo which I might eventually scan
in and send to you guys. Anyway, here's the setup to my question...a little
while ago my comic shop turned me on to Squee! and Johnny the Homicidal Maniac.
The style these comics are done in reminds me alot of Evan's work, but much
darker. I really dig them and I was wondering if you had seen them and what,
if any, are your thoughts on these comics. Actually, the first time I read
Squee!, I thought to myself "Dorkboy has to be involved in this in _some_
way." Yeah, me and Evan go way back. I call him Dorkboy, and he calls me
- Oh hey, I gotta go now. Gin may make a man mean, But it takes tequila to
make him violent. -- Eli Lutfallah
Evan: Truth to tell I'm not overly familiar with Jhonen Vasquez's work, I've read an early issue or two of Johnny and there's some good bits of business and gags in there, but I'm not up to date on the book. Haven't read Squee yet, Sarah read issue #1 and I think she liked it. I actually don't see my material as being really that similar to Jhonen's or vice versa, other than our best-known characters are unhinged and we're both published by Slave Labor.
And you can lose the "Dorkboy" jazz, okey-doke? My name's stupid enough without people playing around with it.
Nov 25, 1997
[For both] Hi. I'm a writer and therefore I'm obviously a fan of space ghost,
and I think the episodes you've written are very funny. My question is, do
you know who I should contact to pitch ideas for Space Ghost episodes? (I've
got two spec sitcoms, but no agent yet. I live in NYC.) -- Mike ,
migeg@uscom.com
Sarah: Anyone interested in writing for Space Ghost should send a cover letter and resume to Keith Crofford at the Cartoon Network (address at the end of each episode). That's the official word.
Nov 24, 1997
[For sarah] Which Sanrio character is your favourite? -- Renee Gilbert
Sarah: Ooh, tough one!! On pure character, I think Keroppi is still my all-time favorite. But when it comes to buying Sanrio, it really depends on the current line and image. No new Keroppi stuff is doing anything for me, but I love Badtz, and especially love the new Planet Patrol stuff. I was really bored with Hello Kitty for a while, but I love the new Angel stuff (which is funny since I hate angel stuff usually). I liked Chococat, but that seems to have come and gone already. And I was really excited that they revived My Melody, but I don't like the new color scheme (red and white) nearly as much.
Nov 22, 1997
[For both] I hate to ask this, but are you actually real people? I mean,
living, breathing people? I was just browsing on the net and discovered your
site, and now I'd really like to know if you actually exist. -- Matthew Rossi,
badger@eyrie.org
Nov 22, 1997
[For both] Okay, I've now looked around and proved to myself that you're
real...and I in fact actually own some of your work without realizing it...so
I must ask this following question: How is it possible that no one has ever
attempted to stop you? (I don't want anyone to...Anyone who'd attack a
Renaissance Festival has MY support...but I'm just wondering why no one has
made the effort.) Or has someone? God, I'd better stop typing now. -- Matthew
Rossi, badger@eyrie.org
Sarah: Whew!! I'm so glad to find out I'm real!! No-one's ever tried to stop us. They just ignore us.
Evan: I love that..."How is it possible that no one has ever attempted to stop you?" Oh man. Thats' terrific. Actually, in all honesty; there has been a concentrated effort to stop us, and others like us. Many comic shop retailers have been trying their best to see to it that the people doing pointless and useless small press books all end up working at Arbee's by not supporting what we do. Luckily, they cannot stop us, no, they cannot even pay their Diamond bills, so we are not afraid.
Sep 15, 1997
[For both] Hey guys, hows life? My cats say hi to yours, but the youngest
thinks she could kick jinxes butt. I told her she was nuts and if she didnt
stop being such a lunatic Id have to put her tinkling bell collar back on
her. ...So, tiny question. I have two favorite comic books, Milk & cheese,
and JTHM. And this was bugging me a little last night at about two am: If
Milk and Cheese got in a battle over an Ice Suckey with Nny, who would win?
Cause, I mean, there are two on the m&c team and only one Johnny, but
Johnnys pretty big, and hes also quite handy with a spork. And, Evan, if
you had to fight to the death with Jhonen Vasquez for the title of best comic
book writer guy, do you think you could successfully pin him down and drive
a pencil through his ear? I don't know, Jhonen seems pretty tough. And I
think he might be crazy.
-- Chloe R.
Sarah: Actually, Jinx' ass can probably be easily kicked. The mighty Pixie though -- there's a battle your little kitten better step down from!
Evan: Well, this is kind of like a small press "Who's stronger, Thor or the Hulk?" type deal, isn't it? And like that imponderable, I have to say I have no clear answer. M&C might see Johnny as a kindred spirit and just walk away. Or they might be afraid of his popularity and double-team him with cheese graters. Luckily, they're fictional, so I can just say...I dunno. As for me tussling with Vasquez, I'm woefully out of shape, but he's skinny. I could fall on him or something. Plus I'm loud, us New Yorkers have that intimidation factor. But he has that cult-like following, they might be lurking around to take me out, those children of the night. Luckily, Jhonen and I are fictional, so I can just say...the winner is Gilbert Hernandez!
Aug 29, 1997
[For evan] While it may be no surprise to MOST of the world, it was only
fairly recently that I discovered the work you had done on Space Ghost Coast
to Coast, one of the few shows I watch on a semi-religious basis. Anyway,
to get to the point (yes Pinky the point!), how much do you enjoy working
on the show? Is it one of those ---- "Hu-boy back to the grind." jobs or
more along the lines of "Hot dog, fire up the ovens Moltar we have egos to
skewer!"?
Evan: To be perfectly honest, I don't like writing or drawing anything as much as I enjoy simply thinking the things up in the first place. Once the ideas are written down everything else becomes a bit mechanical -- while there's certainly some enjoyment in building a script or fleshing out a drawing, once the idea is there everything else is a bit of a letdown. The idea always seems so "perfect" while the execution always seems lacking somehow. SGCTC was very exciting when we started working on it three years or so ago, but nowadays a bit of the "mystery" is gone and it feels a little bit more like a job, which is natural. I liken it a bit to M&C, where the trick is to stay interested by reinventing the basic one-joke premise as often as possible -- sometimes it's fun, sometimes it's "work". Whereas with M&C I can take a break anytime I want, with SG we're (supposed to be) working on a schedule, so it can feel like a job at times. But at least it's generally a fun job, I still really get into certain aspects of the show, whether it's Zorak, or Birdman or Chad, or a new "plot" idea Sarah and I are developing.
Aug 25, 1997
[For evan] I came across Milk and Cheese quite some time ago. My feelings
were of total elation, I couldn't believe there was another soul out there
who wasn't in electroshock therapy or incarcerated who thought like I did.
For the first time in my life I knew what happiness meant. In gratitude I'd
like to start my own religion dedicated to you and Milk and Cheese. My question
is should there be ten commandments or should I just scrap the whole commandment
issue? -- Scott R. Krol
Evan: I think I had M&C's ten commandments listed in the card set, but they were probably all lies so feel free to start a religion, as long as all rights, trademarks and profits are funneled back to me Jim Jones-style.
Aug 21, 1997
[For both] ...How do I get out of this damn mini-book scene into something
bigger? I'm not anticipating big deals from Image or Marvel to come rolling
in, but I wouldn't mind getting a little bigger. I've spoken to several
small-time publishers, but most are'nt looking for new books or are'nt interested
in my genre of comics (that being cartoons). I've developed a small but loyal(?)
following here, and would like to step up to the next level. I know I'm on
the right track, but I'm suddenly stuck, and, to be frank, I don't really
want to drag all my stuff (I'd use a more a colorful word, but, the kids...)
to CON-ventions. If you have any tips, or even if you know of any small
publishers that're into cartoons and looking for submissions the info would
be appreciated. I know I sound like a dork, but, well, I am. Thanx! -- Joe
Stoopid, stoopidcomix@juno.com
Sarah: Well, the mini-comic scene is not quite the ghetto people make it out to be. There's no reason you can't improve the production quality of your comic, and make it better without trying to go to a publisher. I'm sure there's people who would disagree, but I think your mini-comic needs to be selling well over 500 copies an issue before you try to jump to full-on regular format comics. Most creators who make the leap have several well-selling issues and lots of press under their belts before they move to "mainstream" format books. Look at how many creators actually win Xeric grants and still continue to do mini-comics rather than make the transition. The big advantage of minis is that you can sell any number, be on any schedule, not have to worry about catalog placement, retailers, returnable books, etc etc...The best way to get picked up is for your mini to get noticed, and get popular. Don't worry about shmoozing publishers -- get your book out, make it look great, send out review copies to everyone and anyone, and if the response is good, sooner or later you'll get your shot.
Evan: Like she said, although I'd up the sales figures you'd need to log before you can think about that jump to "regular" comics to at least a couple thousand. Several breakout mini-comics creators who went on to the standard format were selling thousands of copies of their minis before moving to self-publishing or a publisher. At the very least they had a book a publisher was interested in picking up, at best they were moving so many copies the jump was logical and necessary. In either case, the creator was making those comics to show, sell, promote and get feedback from. Work creates work, and minis are the cheapest way to get noticed. Believe me, most guys and gals in the small press would be better off in minis, less pressure, cost and less of a chance of being wiped out financially by issue two. You can print and reprint minis cheap to your needs, and the artwork doesn't disappear --if you turn out to be a mini comics genius, you can always reprint the minis in standard comics form to meet that demand.
Aug 22, 1997
[For evan] this may be a stupid question, but what do you use for your inks.
I've been drawing for some time now but inking is somewhat new to me. Thanks
-- olie, ogroulx@vidoe30.com
Evan: I think I was asked this before, but in either case- I ink mainly with a Hunt 102 pen, and a #2 and #3 brush. I use a Hunt 101 and 108 for details, and a variety of other pen nibs for various effects or lines. I ink large black areas using Q-tips dipped in ink. I use technical pens for lettering and for some inks, although I use them far less often than when I started out. Technical pens give you a flat line and I've been trying to get more life into my inking over the past few years -- inking feels new to me as well in a way to be honest.
For corrections I use a Pentel correction pen, pro-white ink with a brush, and for lettering on black and other effects I use pen nibs with white ink or a technical pen filled with white ink.
Nov 21, 1997
[For evan] I want to see a Milk and Cheese cartoon, darnit. where is my milk
and cheese cartoon? -- Siggety-Sam, ZenAngel@aol.com
Nov 15, 1997
[For both] First, you both do excellent work. I really like AG and M&C
as well as the SG stuff. Have either of you tried animating your characters?
Have you done much animating in your careers? -- Bruce Burkhalter
Oct 1, 1997
[For both] How's it going fellas? I was just wondering if, Evan, anybody
has given you a decent, serious offer on making a Hectic Planet series or
movie. I know people have contacted you about a Milk and Cheese cartoon.
Any good offers? Sarah, same question, has anybody shown any interest in
an action girl show? It would be kind of interesting to make it into a
saturday-morning cartoon. -- Oliver Lyons, Lyonsgraph@aol.com
Aug 12, 1997
[For both] I've been a big fan for some time now. I love M&C, and got
into Pirate corp$ & Hectic Planet a bit as well. ...I noticed you have
had several offers for animated M&C. I agree it doesn't fit into a feature
film or 1/2 hour without losing some of the style. Do you think it's a
possibility for animated shorts, for cable (if not Cartoon Network, maybe
HBO) or even theatres? Also, who would handle the animation if it were to
happen? Would you have a team, or turn it over to someone like ILM? The reason
I'm curious is I've recently become involved in computer animation, and the
thought of working on a Milk & Cheese project would be a dream come true.
-- Mike Morrell, Judesamm@Concentric.net
Evan: I'm pretty much uninterested in selling or licensing most of my characters, especially M&C, for film or television. That doesn't mean I'm not interested in seeing some of my ideas adapted as films or as cartoons, there's a big difference. But Hollywood doesn't come to you and say, "We want to make a well-done, classy cartoon with your characters and situations, and we want you to work on it because after all, it's your idea and you know how to write it". That's not how it works. I'd be interested in working on a movie project or on other tv shows besides SG or Superman, but I'm not looking to sell my ideas so someone can screw up something I care about. I create my comics specifically for the comic book format because I love and respect comics and it's the medium I've chosen to work in.
As far as M&C go, they may seem like just two dopey comic book characters, and sometimes they make me nuts, but they're really like two rotten little kids of mine and I really do love them, as corny as that sounds. I'm really glad I made them up, and I don't ever want to hate them or regret their existance -- and if anything can make you despise something you enjoyed or even cared about, it's a Hollywood adaptation. And the fact is, M&C would be tricky to adapt to film or tv, plain and simple. They just seem perfect canditates for a crappy translation. I could only see M&C done as a series of short, short cartoon subjects -- but only if the films were true to the strips. And I see it as done traditionally, with cel animation. But that's as far as I see it.
As for Hectic Planet, while a few people who have contacted me about M&C have said that they liked the book, nobody's ever made what I'd call a serious offer for it.
As far as animation itself goes, I've never animated any of my comic book characters. I have a bit of a background in animation, I studied it in film school at NYU for several years. My senior project won a small grant and had a few "sales" lined up to the school and some other facilities, but I never completed the film. (I stupidly attempted to fully-animate a three minute story, all by myself -- including painting all the backgrounds and cels. What the hell was I thinking?) But I haven't actually sat at the animation table and animated anything in over ten years now.
There are some projects and ideas of mine I could see selling the option to for film or tv or video games if the situation and project was right. But there are some projects, like M&C, that I just don't want to give up, not unless I got some miraculous unprecedented opportunity. I care about my work, I make enough money, I'm having fun, I'm doing what I want -- I'm not sitting around waiting for Hollywood to validate my existance. If I spend my life doing "nothing" but comics and maybe continue doing some animation scripting like I'm doing now -- that would be fine by me.
And Sam -- If you drink a lot of Nyquil and spin around in cricles, you just might see something like a Milk and Cheese cartoon. Give it a try. Otherwise I don't know what to tell you.
Sarah: As for me, I have had a few conversations about AG or something else. Of course, usually, it's all bull, but I have given it some thought. I just cannot see giving up characters I feel so strongly about. You cannot maintain control over your characters if you go into tv animation, and I just couldn't take that risk.
Go back to the parlor...
Go back to the foyer...